Centrifugal machine.



W. K. RICHARDSON.

GENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1909.

1,044,573, Patented Nov. 19,1912.

' INVEN TOR.

VIM-Richardson.

WITNESSES:

A TTORNE Y.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPN 60-,WASH1NOTON. n. c.

I tion I will refer to the WILLIAM K. RIQI-IARJDSON, 0F LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS.

CENTBIFUGAL MAGHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 6, 1909.

Patented N ov. 19, 1912. Serial No. 531,523.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM K. RICH- ARDSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leavenworth, in the county of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Centrifugal Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

, My invention relates to centrifugal machines and more especially to means for transmitting and utilizing the energy of water discharged from the impeller of a centrifugal pump, whereby such energy or power may be utilized to assist in driving the machine.

My invention is applied to a centrifugal pump which operates above or outside of thewater suppl and briefly stated it consists in the employment of an impact wheel arranged to absorb the kinetic energy of the water discharged from the impeller, and in transmitting such energy to the driving shaft through frictional mechanism operating against the end-thrust of the machine.

To more particularly describe my invenaccompanying drawings in which- Figure I is a central vertical section of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. H is an enlarged plan view of the friction rollers and the roller cage or disk detached from the machine, and Fig. III is a bottom view of a portion of the impact wheel with the bottom plate removed.

My invention is designed more particularly for use in connection with a centrifugal pump such as illustrated in U. S. Letters Patent, No. 916,370 granted to me March 23, 1909. The impeller there shown operates in an air chamber into which the water is forced against the air-pressure therein. In the present invention I employ the same type of impeller operating in a the Water is discharged above a central bore or closed casing, but have arranged an impact wheel in position to receive and be rotated by the water as it is discharged from the impeller. This wheel is connected to a series of friction rollers which are mounted to receive the end-thrust of the machine, the impact wheel operating to move the rollers in the direction of rotation of the driving shaft and thus assist in driving the impeller.

Referring to the drawings, 1 illustrates an annular casing forming the outside wall of the chamber in which the impeller or .pump operates. Said casing l is bolted or otherwise secured to a base 2 and is closed at its top by a suitable cover 2. The base 2 is provided with a central hollow column 4: forming a continuation of the intake pipe 4. Said base 2 is also provided with outlets 23 through which the water is discharged from the casing.

The impeller 3 is secured to the end of a driving shaft 5 and is journaled on the column 4-, as shown. Its construction is substantially as shown and described in my aforesaid Letters Patent and a detailed de scription thereof is therefore deemed unnecessary. It is suiiicient to state that a water seal is provided for at the discharge opening of the impeller by means of an annular plate or ring 21 which has an upturned flange 22 at its inner edge, so that the impeller at a point somewhat closer to the center of rotation than the extreme outer Wall of the impeller-chamber.

The impeller and its shaft is supported by means of a collar 9 secured to the shaft 5 and resting on a series of rollers 13, the latter, in turn, resting on a fixed support 6 which is made in the form of a spider the arms of which are bolted to the casing 1, as clearly shown. The spider or support 6 has opening 10 through which the shaft 5 passes, and said bore is made sufficiently large to receive the hub 16 of an impact wheel 15 which surrounds the shaft 5 and which freely rotates thereon.

The impact wheel 15 is provided with a series of buckets or blades 17 arranged to receive the impact of the water discharged charge and able bearings 14, as best shown in from the impeller to cause the wheel 15 to impact wheel is positively transmitted withrotate in the direction of rotation of the impeller. Said impact wheel is supported upon the impeller, a suitable ball bearing 18 being interposed to permit free independent rotation. The hub 16 is provided at its upper end with a series of studs 19 arranged parallel with the shaft 5 which serve to ro tatably couple the impact wheel with an apertured disk 12 in which the friction rollers 13 are mounted. The disk 12 is provided with holes 20 to receive the studs 19 and is also provided with openings to receive the rollers 13, the latter being mounted in suit- Fig. III. The rollers 13 are conical in form and conical bearings 6 and 9 are provided therefor on the support 6 and shaft-collar 9, as clearly shown in Fig. I.

The shaft 5 projects through the cover 2 of the casing, and its upper end is journaled in a support or frame 7 mounted upon said cover, and said shaft is provided with a pulley 8 by means of which the pump is operated.

The operation of the machine is substantially as follows: Power is applied to the pulley 8 to drive the shaft 5 and the impeller 3, and as the impeller and shaft are supported upon the friction rollers 13 by means of the collar 9 and as said rollers are mounted in the disk or cage 12, the latter is revolved by the collar 9 in the same direction and at half the speed at which the impeller 3 is rotated. The impact wheel 15, being connected to the disk 12 in the manner described is rotated in unison'therewith.

It is well known that an impact wheel is most eflicient when designed to run at about half the speed of the driving stream. This condition is present in the machine shown, as the stream which strikes the wheel has practically the same velocity as that of the impeller 3.

The pump is primed in the usual manner, after which its operation will cause water to be drawn up through the intake a and forced outwardly from the impeller by centrifugal force. The fluid in escaping from the annular pocket formed by the band 21 and flange 22 will be forced against the blades of the impact wheel and will be thereby deflected from be delivered into the pump casing without velocity.

The heavy downward pressure upon the impeller creates a heavy down thrust upon the shaft 5, and this thrust is received upon the rollers 13, as the impact wheel is rotated by the impact of the water it tends to rotate the disk 12 and rollers 13 in the direction of rotation of the impeller, and it will be readily seen that the power absorbed by the the tangent of its disout slippage to the drivlng shaft 5 through the medium of the collar 9. The load upon the shaft 5 is thus reduced in proportion to the energy absorbed by the impact wheel, whereas in ordinary centrifugal pumps, the friction between the bearing parts is simply a waste of power.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a pump, the combination with a hollow rotary impeller provided with an annular discharge passage, of means for confining the water flowing through said passage so as to produce a seal against the admission of air, an impact wheel arranged to receive the impact of fluid passing from said seal, and frictional driving means driven by said impact wheel and operating against the end thrust of the impeller for assisting in driving the same.

2. In a pump, the combination with a rotary impeller, of an impact wheel arranged to receive the impact of fluid discharged from the impeller, frictional driving means driven by said impact wheel and operating against the end thrust of the impeller for assisting in driving the same, and a rotary member included in the connections between said impact wheel and said driving means which has a floating connection to the part on which it rests, whereby it may have some freedom of transverse movement on said part.

3. In a pump, the combination with a rotary impeller, of an impact wheel arranged to receive the impact of fluid discharged from the impeller, frictional driving means driven by the said impact wheel and operating against the end thrust of the impeller for assisting in driving the same, a fixed support with which said frictional driving means engages, and means whereby said frictional driving means supports both the impeller and the impact wheel and the parts connected to each.

4. In a pump, the combination of a hollow rotary impeller provided with an annular discharge passage, means for confining the water flowing through said passage so as to produce a seal against the admission of air, a driving shaft for said impeller, a collar mounted on said shaft, a fixed support below said collar, rollers mounted between said collar and said support, an impact wheel arranged to receive the impact of fluid discharged from the impeller, and means connecting said wheel with said rollers.

5. In a pump, the combination of a hollow rotary impeller provided with an annular discharge passage, means for confining the water flowing through said passage so as to produce a seal against the admission of air, a driving shaft for said impeller, an impact Wheel mounted on said shaft, and independently rotatable thereon, a fixed bearing surrounding the shaft, a collar mounted on said shaft, a disk interposed between said hearing and collar, said disk carrying rollers adapted to take the end thrust of the ma In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM K. RICHARDSON. Witnesses:

K. M. IMBODEN, MYRTLE M. JACKSON.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

